Time tracking is one of the most overlooked — yet most powerful — tools inside Studio Designer. Many firms see it as an administrative burden or something to “catch up on later.” But the truth is this:
If your team’s time data isn’t accurate, nothing else in your business is.
Not your job costing.
Not your margins.
Not your cash flow projections.
Not your capacity planning.
Time entries are the foundation that every financial and operational decision rests on.
If you want reliable data, cleaner reporting, and more confident decisions, your time-tracking process has to work.
Why Time Tracking Is Vital for Creative Firms
Interior design and architecture firms live in a world where work hours = revenue, whether you bill hourly, flat fees, or a hybrid of the two. Time isn’t just an operational detail — it’s an economic driver.
Accurate time tracking helps you:
Understand the true cost of each project
Even flat-fee projects rely on time tracking to reveal whether you priced correctly — or went underwater.
Identify where hours are leaking
Unbilled time is one of the biggest threats to design-firm profitability. Even a small amount of leakage compounds across teams and projects.
Make informed staffing decisions
Time tracking tells you whether you actually need another hire — or whether the issue is workflow inefficiency.
Forecast cash flow with confidence
Consistent time entries reveal patterns in billable work, helping you predict production cycles and revenue more accurately.
How to Set Up Time Tracking the Right Way in Studio Designer
The biggest time-tracking problems aren’t user errors — they’re setup errors. A few foundational choices determine whether you get clean, actionable data or a confusing pile of inconsistent entries.
1. Standardize how projects and phases are created
If every project looks different in Studio Designer, your time entries will follow suit. Create a naming convention and stick to it.
2. Create clear rules for what “counts” as billable
Don’t leave it to personal judgment. Define what is billable vs. non-billable so your team logs consistently.
3. Require frequent time logging (daily or weekly max)
The longer someone waits, the less accurate the entries become.
4. Train your team on how you want Studio Designer used
Studio Designer is powerful — but only when everyone enters time the same way and in the right places.
With good setup and consistent use, time tracking stops being a chore and becomes one of your firm’s most valuable diagnostic tools.
How to Analyze Time Data Once It’s Clean
Clean time data unlocks visibility you can’t get anywhere else.
Spot overruns early
If a phase is trending over budget, you can catch it before it eats your margin.
See which services are most profitable
You may discover certain parts of your offering produce significantly higher returns — helping you refine your positioning or pricing.
Identify individual and team workload patterns
This data is invaluable when planning future capacity or adjusting project timelines.
Measure the impact of scope creep
When hours are tied to phases, you can clearly show where additional client asks are affecting your bottom line.
Time Tracking = Better Decisions + Better Cash Flow
When your time data is accurate and updated consistently, everything else becomes easier:
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Billing is faster
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Estimates are more accurate
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Cash flow becomes predictable
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You stop underpricing your work
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You stop overworking your team
It’s not “extra admin.” It’s the engine of a healthier, more profitable business.
Next Step: View Our Free Studio Designer Webinars
If you want to learn how to set up time tracking correctly — and use it to build stronger margins — catch one of our recorded webinars.
🎓 Capture It. Save It. Bill It: A Designer’s Guide to Time Entries
Learn how to streamline time tracking and billing inside Studio Designer. (Insert link)
🎓 Cash Flow Made Easy: Invoicing & Reporting for Studio Designer Users
See how clean time data powers better billing, forecasting, and cash flow management. (Insert link)
